Jammu and Kashmir govt giving importance to power generation and distribution: Mehbooba

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said her government is giving importance to both power generation and distribution fronts, to improve electricity supply in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mebooba Mufti. AFP

She said the government’s thrust is on upgrading transmission and distribution network to tide over Transmission and Distribution losses.

"To overcome the distressing power scenario, the Government is working on a comprehensive roadmap to augment the generation, transmission and distribution systems so that quality power supply is ensured to the consumers," the Chief Minister said while addressing a public gathering at Jatwal in Samba district after dedicating a Grid Station and Transmission Line.

The Chief Minister hailed the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) for completing and commissioning the ambitious Grid Station project at Jatwal well ahead of schedule.

"Power sector is crucial to J&K’s economy and this is one of the sectors which has a cascading effect on every other sector," she said and added that the Power Development Department (PDD) will have to firm up timelines to ensure timely execution of projects.

"The power scenario remains sluggish and we need to do more as the state has the potential to generate far more," she observed.

Chief Minister asked PDD to avoid unscheduled power cuts especially during the peak hours so that people are not put to any inconvenience in the winter capital amid scorching heat.

She said the consumers should be informed in advance about the power curtailment schedule, if any to be implemented, during any exigencies.

The Chief Minister called for expediting works under R-APDRP (Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme) and DDUGJY to augment the power supply position in the State.

She asked the executing agency IRCON to carry out works in double-shift to ensure completion of the project ahead of the schedule time frame of March 2017.

"RAPDRP has already missed the deadline and the thrust should be on completing the project ahead of the fresh deadline of March 2017," she said.